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?ASTOR'S REPORT, July 16, 1979
Page 5
Church members supported
By DICK LLOYD
Slaff Writer
The National Council of
Churches is supporting a group of
members of the Pasadena-based
Worldwide Church of God who
are seeking to intervene on be
half of the church to invalidate a
state suit against the church.
Represented by the law firm of
Rosen, Remcbo and Henderson
of San Francisco, the National
Council . oi Churches has asked
the California Supreme Court to
grant the local church Pl{> a
hearing and allow the interven
tion;
The local cb11rch members,
�lling themselves the Commit
tee for Defense of Heiigious
Freedom, last February were
denied permission to enter the
case toseekan end to the receiv
ership placed upon them by the
Superior Court.
At the time, Judge Robert I.
Weil said that the group, whos-e
lead plaintiff is Fred G. Lopez,
was not seeking any relief not
a1ready sought by the church's
attorneys on several previous
occasions.
Action by the
:'ICC
represents a
s1gnific:rnt brPakthrough for tae
Wcr\owide Ctu., 1 ·.vhic·l :i2s
sought as3istc.Ji<.2 t: :mi r,.::,::mc1:
religious orgar.izations in its iignt
agai.,st the suit tha·: ch
v
,rges
c,1u .. r, ,€,Hiers \Jith mi&use of
ch,m:h L:nds.
'I""e :'.CC is a ; eligious coopera
�:ve agency of 32 national Chris
t:an rehgious bodies with a total
memh,rship oi rnore than 40
mi1lion persons.
· 'The N'ational Council of
Qmrcttcs suppt'r··:� i.beir ;>etitiGr1
be<'..aUII.? it directly challengescne
con:.t.UuHnr.a::v\· of California
Corp:,raitoos
1
.::od� :5ection !lfii05
as 4\ppheri tc ,.·e!\gfousgreepa
organized ?.s non-profit corpora
tions," attorru,y Robin B. Johan
son wrote to the 2upr�me Court.
"We urge you to accept this
case for :tearing i.n order· to re
solve the fundam1:nta! questions
wh1ch ii :i:·aises frbol..'t the -prop�r
role ot: the ii.21� ,r cburch af
fain," she :,;aia.
If. tbe Supreme Court 1unt1
the hearing the NCC will fik: an
an amicus curiae brief insupport
of the loca� chur�h members,
said Ms. ,iohan:.rou.
The attorn�y general claims
that the �hurch a[ a non-profit
cha ritable orgariizati on fall,;
under the aegis c1f the Catifonia
Corporatk•ns ·Cof:c and therefore
the attn.�ey general's office bu
the auJ1orHv to ;is:mre that char
itable t .r,.wts. cuch as churches,
eckcational institutions and the
b:e. conect �'l.f!d :-:pend money
according to tteir own arti.des of
t,ce�-uo·::.1tion.
t,uf the ,iCC daims that the
. stat2 h.c,s vio:ated the constitu
tional right;; of the c.1urch.
• 'Tl'ie .\ICC 1.s ct�epty concerned
abDu;
i ..
'le serio11s invasions of
First Amendment freedom that
have occu:-:·ed in the·Worldwide
Church d God receivershippro
ceedings," �id Ms. Johanson.
"Quit� frankly, the National
Council has l1€v�: :)efore encoun
tered such a ;m;stabed and de
�;tructive govc,nrr.ent'!l as..ci2:.;lt
on religious freedom.
··The �rux of tne st3.te's argu
ment appears to he that by incor
porating as & religious non-pl"ofit
corporation, the churclt thereby
waived :ts basic First Amend
ment rights, as well as its right
to claim the clergy-penitent and
attorney-client privileges,'' said
Ms. Johanson.
She continued, "The .;tate's
argum,mt that it has not V!oiated
any -constitutional proted.ions
apparently ignores the fad tha:t
the receiver has fired church
employees, scrutinfz.ed �hurch
records, including membership
lists aa1 t."OOfidential
commum�
'i.'athms, and intercepted �&d
stoppt;d a communication f!'om
the oastor t.o lile church's mem
bershioWOl'idwide.''
She
said
als.o �hat the state and
the ,-ial cm,;-t crroneousiv �
tend ;,.11at "His. '1.e prerogative ef
t11e (:ourt:s to dr:ti::-�mine ·wt>etw
a mattu is ,:c:::J ..esi.t�tical as
opposed to oosh�ess or fina.Dcill
:n natr�e. thi,s coming within iii
receivf!r's jurisdictivn and con
t;-ol."
Swee many d the religious
bodies in the �CC are o•.·ganized
as religious non-profit ccr:)()('lr
Hons. the NCC has a vital inter
est in the case of the st.ite
against the Woridwide Church of
God. Ms. Johanson claims.
The Committee for Defente ol
Religious Freedom �s asse.-ted
it is :ndeoendent of �he church
Jnd :,eeks ,'(; l_·e:,s on its OWA
apar, Fron, the Jefense paid fm:
by the church.
�0��0�5� �cuncil of Churches is deeply concerned about the
the
serious
v,,'o r l dwide
= ?::st Amenj�ent free�om ::.h2t ha�e occur�eci in
�G-�ch ::;� �::;j �ccei:e=ship proceedings.
J�ite frankly, the �ational
Council �as ne�er before encountered such a sustained and destructive
:r::;'/ernr.e:--.ta1.
, ;:;_ ".L:Jt on religio1__;,s ."':ceedom.
The Ch'-1:-ch's reports of the
State's activi::.ies would �e almost unbelie�able were they not sucoorted in
=·""12. by co,..:.�·c
::.ranscri£)ts and writter; c:)cuments.
"-
·
7he crux of the State's arq��ent appears to be that by incorporating as a
"";::. - - __:_s
:->::,�-?C8::..� c�·.-.-r?e>rat -
l()fl,
��
,....
iC
:�c,;:"L::_
3.-rw'v·�,�(� C'b.'._:rcr1 0�
·�c- -d thereby wai�JEd